It is Feral Cat Day

 

AlleyCat Allies created National Feral Cat Day in 2001 as a call to action to raise awareness about community cats (also called feral or stray cats), promote Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), and empower the millions of compassionate people around the United States who care about cats and kittens to drive change on their behalf.

When we started to do dome research about Feral Cats so that we could write about it today, the first thing we wanted to fidn out about the difference between feral, stray and community cats. We have all 3 in our tiny village!  It's important to note, too, that these definitions are not adopted globally and is often context-dependent. The law might define cats one way (e.g., domestic, feral, etc.), for example, while veterinarians, animal control officers, conservationists, etc., categorize free-roaming cats differently.

Although feral and stray are sometimes used interchangeably, feral generally refers to unowned, free-roaming cats, especially those who are not socialized to humans either because they have never had human contact or because they have, over time, reverted to a “wilder” state in the absence of human contact. Stray, on the other hand, generally refers to owned cats (i.e., pets) who have become lost or displaced from their homes or property. The term community cat is less precise, but is typically used to refer to unowned, free-roaming cats regardless of their sociability. Free-roaming refer outdoor cats, whether owned or not.

These categories are rather fluid — an indoor-only pet cat can, by being left behind (for example our buddy Lucifer) or some other reason become a stray and even a feral cat. This same cat (we have our fingers and claws crossed) could become part of a TNR (trap-neuter-return) colony, warm up to a colony caregiver, and become a pet cat again.

Oh Yes! Where we live we also have WILD cats! There is a cougar that has only been seen occasionally at night hunting along the river and there have been loads of Lynx and Bobcats around the village. 

 This is a Canadian Bobcat that lives up by the Disc Golf Course where Nutmeg goes for walks with Mom's Friend Mrs V. They have seen "Bobbie" several times. Mrs V. says he looks very much like me, just 4X Bigger! He is very shy and runs whenever he see people (and dogs).

I think I am much more handsome (and my murder mittens have glorious claws)!